First ever screening
Every woman screened had never been screened for cancer before.
The story
We did it again
In June 2024 the mission went to Ngoazip, a commune of farmers in the South Region about 26 km from Ebolowa. The organizing partner was CODENE, the Comité de Développement de Ngoazip et Environs, led by its president Yves Ella, whose yearly health campaigns serve patients from all the neighboring villages. It was CODENE's fifth health campaign, and the Patcha Foundation provided free healthcare to over 2,500 people.
Cancer prevention and early detection are at the heart of the mission. Every one of the 272 women screened said she had never been screened for any type of cancer before. Of the 14 women found with pre-cancerous cells of the cervix, 13 were treated on site; one, more advanced, had a biopsy and was referred to the Cameroon Baptist Convention Health Services.
Two new services were added. Dr. Eclador Foko led a sleep medicine department, where sleep problems were linked to insomnia, anxiety and stress, and pain, often from farm work. Kinesiologist Dr. Alex Sop treated the chronic back, muscle and joint pain common among farmers. For the first time, expectant mothers in Ngoazip saw ultrasound images of their unborn babies and took a copy home, with scans led by Francisca Jobain of Trans Plant Cameroon.
The Université des Montagnes strengthened the dental department and trained its final year medical and dental students, and the Magrabi ICO Cameroon Eye Institute strengthened ophthalmology.
